Assessment of Reynolds stresses tensor reconstruction methods for synthetic turbulent inflow conditions. Application to hybrid RANS/LES methods

• Present various Reynolds stresses reconstruction methods from a RANS-SA flow field.
• Quantify the accuracy of the reconstruction methods for a wide range of Reynolds.
• Evaluate the capabilities of the overall process (Reconstruction + SEM).
• Provide practical guidelines to realize a streamwise RANS/LES (or WMLES) transition.

Hybrid or zonal RANS/LES approaches are recognized as the most promising way to accurately simulate complex unsteady flows under current computational limitations. One still open issue concerns the transition from a RANS to a LES or WMLES resolution in the stream-wise direction, when near wall turbulence is involved. Turbulence content has then to be prescribed at the transition to prevent from turbulence decay leading to possible flow relaminarization. The present paper aims to propose an efficient way to generate this switch, within the flow, based on a synthetic turbulence inflow condition, named Synthetic Eddy Method (SEM). As the knowledge of the whole Reynolds stresses is often missing, the scope of this paper is focused on generating the quantities required at the SEM inlet from a RANS calculation, namely the first and second order statistics of the aerodynamic field. Three different methods based on two different approaches are presented and their capability to accurately generate the needed aerodynamic values is investigated. Then, the ability of the combination SEM + Reconstruction method to manufacture well-behaved turbulence is demonstrated through spatially developing flat plate turbulent boundary layers. In the mean time, important intrinsic features of the Synthetic Eddy method are pointed out. The necessity of introducing, within the SEM, accurate data, with regards to the outer part of the boundary layer, is illustrated. Finally, user’s guidelines are given depending on the Reynolds number based on the momentum thickness, since one method is suitable for low Reynolds number while the second is dedicated to high ones with a transition located around Reθ = 3000.